The growing dependency on Electronic Health Records (EHRs) has intensified the exposure of sensitive patient information to advanced cybersecurity threats, including those posed by quantum computing technologies. South African public hospitals depend on conventional encryption mechanisms to secure EHRs; however, these methods are susceptible to quantum threats. The study explored quantum-resistant cryptography for securing EHRs in South African healthcare. The study adopted a phenomenological approach, employing semi-structured interviews with 12 ICT specialists, policymakers, health information managers and cybersecurity practitioners. The study established a misalignment between national digital health and cybersecurity strategies and future quantum threats, as they prioritise digital transformation, data security and interoperability. Public hospitals were found to be reliant on conventional encryption methods, resulting in structural lock-in and impeding adaptability of post-quantum cryptography. Although stakeholders demonstrated awareness of quantum threats, organisational readiness remains constrained by technical, institutional and capacity barriers. It is concluded that South African public healthcare system remains behind towards post-quantum security transformation. The study recommends the development of a roadmap for post-quantum cryptographic migration, system modernisations and capacity building to strengthen the security of EHRs. The findings provide evidence-based guidance for policymakers to strengthen digital health security and resilience of EHRs in public healthcare systems.
The growing dependency on Electronic Health Records (EHRs) has intensified the exposure of sensitive patient information to advanced cybersecurity threats, including those posed by quantum computing technologies. South African public hospitals depend on conventional encryption mechanisms to secure EHRs; however, these methods are susceptible to quantum threats. The study explored quantum-resistant cryptography for securing EHRs in South African healthcare. The study adopted a phenomenological approach, employing semi-structured interviews with 12 ICT specialists, policymakers, health information managers and cybersecurity practitioners. The study established a misalignment between national digital health and cybersecurity strategies and future quantum threats, as they prioritise digital transformation, data security and interoperability. Public hospitals were found to be reliant on conventional encryption methods, resulting in structural lock-in and impeding adaptability of post-quantum cryptography. Although stakeholders demonstrated awareness of quantum threats, organisational readiness remains constrained by technical, institutional and capacity barriers. It is concluded that South African public healthcare system remains behind towards post-quantum security transformation. The study recommends the development of a roadmap for post-quantum cryptographic migration, system modernisations and capacity building to strengthen the security of EHRs. The findings provide evidence-based guidance for policymakers to strengthen digital health security and resilience of EHRs in public healthcare systems.
The rapid advancement of quantum computing poses a significant threat to current cryptographic standards, particularly those securing electronic health records (EHRs) in healthcare systems.Traditional encryption methods such as RSA, ECC, and AES, while robust against classical attacks, are vulnerable to quantum algorithms like Shor's and Grover's, which can efficiently break cryptographic keys and compromise patient data integrity.As healthcare systems become increasingly interconnected through the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud-based infrastructures, the need for quantum-resistant security mechanisms becomes paramount.Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) emerges as a viable solution to future-proof EHR security by employing lattice-based, hash-based, code-based, and multivariate polynomial cryptographic techniques that remain resistant to quantum attacks.This paper explores the implications of quantum computing on healthcare cybersecurity, emphasizing the vulnerabilities of existing encryption protocols and the necessity of transitioning toward PQC frameworks.Furthermore, we examine the integration of PQC within healthcare infrastructures, focusing on key exchange mechanisms, digital signatures, and end-to-end encryption for secure EHR transactions.Additionally, the study highlights regulatory and compliance considerations, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) PQC standardization efforts and the role of Zero Trust security models in mitigating quantum-era cyber risks.Case studies illustrate successful implementations of PQC in healthcare networks, demonstrating its feasibility and effectiveness in safeguarding sensitive medical information.By adopting quantum-resistant cryptographic standards, healthcare institutions can proactively defend against emerging cyber threats, ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and long-term resilience in the face of quantum computing advancements.
Quantum computers are capable of solving problems that classical computers cannot, particularly in the realm of cryptographic algorithms such as RSA, DSA, and ECC. Post quantum cryptography refers classical cryptographic algorithm that are designed to secure sensitive data. This research explores the application of post-quantum cryptographic techniques in healthcare systems, with a specific focus on integrating Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) with Genetic Algorithms (GA) for enhanced key optimization. As quantum computing advances, traditional cryptographic systems employed in health care are more and more vulnerable to being broken. Security of sensitive patient information—like electronic health records (EHRs), diagnostic data, and personally identifiable information— requires strong solutions that can handle future quantum attacks. Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) provides a hopeful way forward by employing quantum computer-resistant algorithms. This paper investigates the deployment of PQC methods—e.g., lattice-based, hash-based, and multivariate polynomial cryptography—inside healthcare systems to improve data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It assesses the weaknesses of present encryption technologies and introduces PQC as a necessary update to protect patient information from sophisticated cyberattacks. The study also addresses the interoperability, computational overhead, and infrastructure readiness challenges of implementing PQC in healthcare. By implementing quantum-resilient cryptographic protocols, healthcare facilities are able to future-proof data protection practices and guarantee the safeguarding of patient data in an era governed by quantum computing.
The healthcare sector increasingly relies on Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) that integrate medical devices, networks, and digital records to deliver critical patient care. Protecting sensitive medical data within these interconnected systems is vital due to potential privacy violations and safety risks. The initiation of quantum computing poses substantial threats to traditional cryptographic algorithms, which underpin current healthcare data security. This article examines the deployment of quantum-safe cryptographic algorithms considered to resist quantum attacks, enabling robust protection of healthcare CPS. It highlights advanced encryption methods including lattice-based, hash-based, and code-based post-quantum schemes, alongside quantum key distribution (QKD) for secure key management. The discussion includes challenges related to healthcare-specific system constraints, regulatory compliance, and integration complexity. Through adopting quantum-resistant cryptography and comprehensive key management protocols, healthcare organizations can safeguard electronic health records (EHRs), device communication, and patient data against incipient post-quantum threats, ensuring long-term data confidentiality, integrity, and system resilience.
With the progress of quantum computing, medical institutions that use classical public-key cryptography to secure the confidentiality of long-lasting and delicate healthcare information are facing great security challenges.This research aims to suggest a policy framework for Post-Quantum Cryptographic Policy (PQCP) to facilitate systematic shift of healthcare infrastructures to quantum resistant infrastructure security.It seamlessly combines cryptographic asset discovery, quantum-risk assessment, asset prioritization, cryptoagility, hybrid cryptographic migration, secure key management, governance, compliance monitoring, and ongoing security evaluation.It covers electronic health records, healthcare platforms in the cloud, medical imaging, telemedicine applications and resource-limited Internet of Medical Things devices.A risk-oriented migration strategy gives institutions the ability to prioritize systems based on the amount of data in a system, the vulnerabilities of the cryptographic functions used, the clinical criticality of the system, and the length of time the information must be kept confidential.There are hybrid (classical and post-quantum) mechanisms for gradual migration and interoperability or clinical continuity.Finally, the suggested framework offers a structured approach to enhance the preparedness of healthcare institutions, adherence to regulations, resilience against cryptographic attacks, and long-term protection of healthcare information from the evolving quantum cybersecurity landscape.
In digital healthcare systems, there has been an upsurge in the utilization of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) which is raising some concerns on data privacy and security, particularly following the quantum computing innovation. RSA and ECC encryption services, which are the traditional mechanisms, are expected to be rendered useless in light of quantum algorithms, like that of Shor and Grover, which can break classical cryptographic algorithms. This paper introduces a framework of quantum enhanced data security to solve these vulnerabilities, in which Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) are integrated. The suggested model uses the lattice-based encryption (Kyber), post-quantum digital signature (Di lithium), and QKD to secure key exchange. A comparative simulation to classical encryption approaches manifests that the model with innovative frameworks provides the high levels of resilience toward quantum penetrations, a better authentication accuracy and a slight augmentation of access durability. It indicates that the combination of PQC and QKD could be a scalable, persistent, and future-proof solution to the security of sensitive healthcare information under next-generation cyberattacks.
The increasing adoption of cloud-based patient information systems in healthcare enhances efficiency and accessibility but introduces significant cybersecurity risks. Traditional encryption methods, such as RSA and ECC, are becoming vulnerable due to rapid advancements in quantum computing, necessitating the transition to quantum-resistant encryption. This study evaluates the effectiveness of post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) solutions in securing cloud-stored healthcare data. Using publicly available datasets, including HHS breach records, NIST PQC benchmarks, and HIMSS cybersecurity reports, this research identifies trends in healthcare data breaches, encryption adoption, and regulatory penalties. Findings indicate a strong correlation between increased cloud adoption and cybersecurity breaches, highlighting the urgent need for enhanced encryption. Post-quantum cryptographic algorithms, particularly CRYSTALS-Kyber and CRYSTALS-Dilithium, outperform traditional encryption methods in terms of security and computational efficiency, making them viable for healthcare applications. Institutions that have adopted PQC show a marked decline in regulatory fines, reinforcing its role in compliance and risk mitigation. This study underscores the need for early PQC adoption, increased investment in cybersecurity training, and regulatory collaboration to ensure seamless integration of quantum-resistant encryption. The research provides critical insights into the evolving cybersecurity landscape, emphasizing the necessity of transitioning to PQC to safeguard patient data against future quantum threats. These findings serve as a strategic guide for healthcare institutions and policymakers, advocating for proactive encryption strategies that align with regulatory standards and ensure long-term data security.